The phase 3a SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes trial showed that 92% of trial participants lost weight when treated with liraglutide 3 mg, in combination with diet and exercise, as compared with 65% of subjects on placebo treatment, who followed the same increased physical activity and reduced-calorie diet. People who completed the trial (56 weeks) on liraglutide showed significantly greater weight loss (9.2%) than people on placebo (3.5%, estimated difference: 5.7%, P<0.0001).

Liraglutide 3 mg is a once-daily, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue with 97% similarity to naturally occurring human GLP-1, a hormone that is released in response to food intake. Like human GLP-1, liraglutide 3 mg regulates appetite and food intake by decreasing hunger and increasing feelings of fullness and satiety after eating. The dual actions of liraglutide 3 mg on both appetite and blood glucose regulation (for adults with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes) hold therapeutic potential for adults with obesity, both those with and without type 2 diabetes.
The SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes trial is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multinational trial in non-diabetic people with obesity and non-diabetic people who are overweight with comorbidities (3,731 participants). Participants were stratified to 56 weeks or 160 weeks of treatment based on prediabetes status at screening. This trial aimed to demonstrate clinically meaningful weight loss at 56 weeks, as well as to investigate the long-term efficacy of liraglutide 3 mg to delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in participants with prediabetes at screening (data collection not finished).
Weight loss achieved with liraglutide 3 mg did not depend on baseline body mass index (BMI) subgroups, and prediabetes status at screening. More people treated with liraglutide 3 mg completed the trial than those on placebo (72% vs. 64%).

Weight loss associated with liraglutide 3 mg was accompanied by improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) as measured by three different questionnaires. Greater improvements were seen with liraglutide 3 mg vs placebo. The Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite (IWQoL), total score improved mostly due to better physical function. Both the Short-Form (36) Health Survey (SF-36) summary of physical scores and mental health scores improved.
Press release Novo Nordisk, November 4 2014